The family of George Floyd recently announced that they are readying a $250 million lawsuit against Ye, the rapper known formerly as Kanye West, after he made false claims regarding the death of George Floyd on the popular hip-hop podcast “Drink Champs”.
In the summer of 2020, a clip went viral of a police officer, Derrick Chauvin, displaying excessive force by holding his knee down on George Floyd, who was being detained after allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill. In the video, George Floyd can be heard repeatedly stating that he can’t breathe until he eventually died from lack of oxygen. The video sparked police brutality protests and popularized the “Black Lives Matter” (BLM) movement. During this time, Ye reportedly donated $2 million to the Floyd family and launched a college savings fund for Floyd’s daughter, Gina.
Ye, who has actively protested the effectiveness of the BLM movement, claimed that Floyd died from a fentanyl overdose. According to NBC News, “Chauvin’s knee “wasn’t even on his neck like that,” Ye said.” His claims were backed by an anti-BLM documentary made by Candace Owens, who has been seen wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt alongside Ye, a phrase that has been labeled hate speech by The Anti-Defamation League.
Ye’s comments spread fast all over the internet. Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney, stated that he was contacted by Floyd’s family about whether legal action could be taken to prevent Ye from spreading misinformation further. Merritt tweeted last Sunday, “While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death. Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl, not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family’s fight.” Merritt has reported that he is looking into suing both Ye and Owens.
Many were quick to criticize the podcast, Drink Champs, and its host, rapper N.O.R.E., for giving Ye a platform to spread his controversies on. During a call-in interview, N.O.R.E. gave a full apology to the family of Floyd regarding the incident. He stated “I just want to be honest. I support freedom of speech. I support anybody, you know, not being censored,” he said. “But I do not support anybody being hurt. I did not realize that the George Floyd statements on my show were so hurtful. And you got to realize, it was the first five minutes of the show. Like when he walked in, he told my producer, he said that if he’ll stop filming, he’ll walk out.”
Ye’s comments against Floyd are just one out of the many controversies that he has been involved in over the past few months. A few weeks ago, Ye had been banned from both Twitter and Instagram after making threatening comments against the Jewish community. His tweet reads, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE. The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew. also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
Ye also recently revealed the address of the school his children attend in an effort to force his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, into enrolling in Ye’s new non-accredited K-12 education program, Donda University, which requires an NDA from the student’s parents.
Many brands formerly partnered with Ye have cut ties with him following pressure from the public. He was dropped as a client by talent agency CAA as well as fashion brand Balenciaga, and, most recently, Adidas. The German company made an official statement regarding its decision to end its collaboration with Ye. It reads, “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful, and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.” The statement continues: “After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products, and stop all payments to Ye and his companies. Adidas will stop the Adidas Yeezy business with immediate effect.”
Ye had been working with Adidas since 2013, designing and distributing items from his clothing line, Yeezy. According to Rolling Stone, “His total wealth dropped from a reported $2 billion to around $500 million following Adidas severing ties with him.”
Ye recently gave a public response to the mother of George Floyd’s daughter, Roxie Washington. According to the Los Angeles Times, his post read, “I gave 2 million dollars out of my pocket for the family. To help George’s daughter…Your daughter! … Many gave words. I ACTED. Now because of words you want to sue me for 250 million dollars … when I’m going through an Economic lynching. A Digital Lynching. A Social Credit Score bankrupting.” He continued to say “This is how you try someone who was there for your family???? You will never get money from no one else. GOD don’t like ugly.”
While Ye has always been known as one to stir the pot, many fans are claiming that he has gone too far over the past few months with many of his controversies. It is unclear what the future holds for Ye, as it seems that he will always have a fanbase that is more than willing to support and listen to him.
